In this post, we’re glancing at some key health and safety issues affecting human populations worldwide.
From chronic illnesses to risks to lives posed by various human activities such as violence and traffic death, I’m presenting some easy-to-understand visuals and comparisons across most affected countries to selected developed and developing nations.
The data have been sourced from various reputable and official disclosures and they span from years 2021 through 2023 depending on location and type of data. Some of the raw data sources include: worldpopulationreview.com; diabetes.org; statista.com; cdc.gov; world-heart-federation.org; bbc.com; usafacts.com; thegunzone.com; diabetesatlas.org; Global Burden of Disease (GBD); worldlifeexpectancy.com; World Health Organization (WHO). Depending on the sources and their timeline, there may be some differences but overall the numbers have been curated and verified.
All rates per 100,000 people for different causes, are reported annually. All percentage rates are shown as percentage of the entire population. Let’s begin.
Diabetes

Diabetes is a growing concern in all these three countries: China, India, and USA, driven by factors like lifestyle changes, urbanization, and aging populations.
Heart Disease

In China, Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for almost 45% of deaths in adults. It’s estimated that one in five adults in China has a CVD. In the USA, heart disease is the leading cause of death, with one in five deaths due to heart disease. Heart disease remains a significant health concern in all these three countries: China, India, USA.
Depression

Looking at the depression rates, we see what appears to be a paradox as some of the countries with the highest depression rates have beautiful climate and nature. This reminds us that just the sunshine and stunning landscapes don’t always translate to mental well-being. Factors like social support, economic stability, healthcare access, and cultural attitudes toward mental health play huge roles. Countries with beautiful environments can still face challenges like social isolation, economic pressure, or lack of mental health resources. It’s a reminder that well-being is multifaceted, not just influenced by the environment.
Suicide

The suicide rate in the United States was 13.9 per 100,000 people in 2021. The rate has been steadily increasing when we look at the data over the past two decades. In comparison, in the happiest country Finland (according to the World Happiness Report) the suicide rate is 13.0 per 100,000 people which still seems very high.
You’d think sunny, tropical places would have the least suicide rates. However, we see Lesotho, Guyana and other countries not associated with dark, gloomy winters, have some of the highest suicide rates in the world. Mental health is a complex interplay of many other factors.
Once again, this is a reminder that while weather can influence mood, we see that factors such as socioeconomic status, cultural attitudes towards mental health, access to care, and social support systems play a bigger role.
Places like Finland, despite the long, dark winters, have strong social safety nets and a high quality of life which can mitigate some of the factors that contribute to higher suicide rates elsewhere.
Similarly, sunny, tropical places may face other challenges such as poverty, political instability, or lack of mental health resources.
Gun Violence
The gun violence rate includes deaths from firearm-related homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings.

Violence
The following chart shows deaths resulting from violence. The “violence” category includes various forms of harm inflicted on individuals, such as:
- Physical violence: Fighting, killing, or hurting another person.
- Sexual violence: Acts like rape or other unwanted sexual actions.
- Psychological violence: Emotional abuse, threats, or coercion.
- Deprivation: Denying someone basic needs or rights.

Obesity

Traffic Deaths
Traffic death metrics generally focus on road traffic fatalities and include deaths involving vehicles (cars, motorcycles, trucks, etc.), pedestrians, and bicycles on roads and highways. They do not usually include airline accidents, as those are categorized separately under aviation safety statistics. They also typically do not include trains. Those statistics fall under separate categories like railway safety or transport safety metrics.

Statistics can really open up a different perspective on important global issues. I hope these were educational, if not, eye-opening.
For the convenience of the readers, below are links to interactive Google Maps to locate each country mentioned. You can click the links below as neeed.
- American Samoa
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- Cook Islands
- Dominican Republic
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Finland
- Guyana
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Mexico
- Nauru
- Philippines
- Russia
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- UK
- Ukraine
- USA
- Venezuela
- Zimbabwe
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